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THE BUSINESS OF MUSIC
www.musicweek.com
BIGINTERVIEW 12
After 25 years, Acid Jazz founder Eddie Piller looks back on his label’s story
ANALYSIS 14
Music Week shifts its focus to Uncle Sam – and UK success across the Pond
20.07.12 £5.15 16
FEATURE How do you make
cash from YouTube? We asked YouTube…
RADIOHEAD MANAGER MESSAGE CALLS FOR RETHINK ON LABELLING CONSUMERS AS ‘PIRATES’
‘BitTorrent is our friend’ C
MANAGEMENT BY TOM PAKINKIS
hairman of the Music Managers Forum and co- manager of Radiohead
Brian Message sees BitTorrent as a ‘natural ally’ and wants to work with the file-sharing website to strengthen the relationship between artists and fans. Speaking at a Westminster
Media Forum entitled ‘The UK music industry – copyright, business and the next steps for the Live Music Act’ last week, Message said that the UK music industry was no longer about sales - but “a living, breathing and evolving relationship over a long period between artists and fans.” “Over the last 10 years, we’ve
seen a turf war between rights and technology,” he said. “That has resulted in fans being branded as pirates and artists unsure how they get paid. It’s built up a level of distrust.” He argued: “Where technology allows something to happen and
“I know it sounds crazy, but I want to use BitTorrent in a legal and creative way” BRIAN MESSAGE, MMF
trialled Counting Crows’ latest album, Underwater Sunshine, on the site earlier this year. Message also called for more
flexibility from labels when it comes to licensing. “Music licensing is getting
more and more difficult,” he said. “I’m involved in a project in the Philippines with three major mobile phone carriers, all of whom operate a billing structure that covers 100million people. “We’re nine months into the
project and we’re still finding it difficult to get licences for these major operators coming together to provide a new service. “That’s primarily because the
people want it, we don’t need laws that make it difficult to roll out... We need to grasp the fact that we have to move away from the copyright trailing model and more towards an artist-fan relationship based on experience. What that means for us is asking, ‘Who are our allies?’ “For me, one ally that I really
want to work hard with is BitTorrent. I know that sounds crazy but BitTorrent has 160 million people every month that get involved with it. They are a channel to help us develop the artist-fan relationship. “I want to develop a product in
August with Nick Cave who has a movie coming out,” he continued.
“We’re going to put a piece of
music together and we might even do some interesting theatrical stuff. I want to use BitTorrent in a legal, creative way.” Message is the second high-
profile UK exec to back BitTorrent as a legitimate site this year, after Cooking Vinyl MD Martin Goldschmidt
major labels are worried about us introducing a new concept when iTunes has got to launch [in the territory]. “iTunes is a big relationship for
labels. They don’t want to threaten that. Last week in the Phillippines, iTunes launched at a local rate of $15 per track to download... so good luck to iTunes in the Phillipines.”
Indie labels pull together in the face of new Universal/EMI support
As support for Universal’s proposed £1.2bn buyout of EMI Music begins
emerging in unlikely and influential places, independent label groups have reaffirmed their opposition In shock news on Monday,
IMPALA co-president Patrick Zelnik (above) revealed why he believed a Universal/EMI
merger “could rescue the music business” so long as the deal abided by certain concessions. These included valuable divestments – possibly EMI’s Virgin Records - being sold to the independent label sector. In a surprise result, 14 of
IMPALA’s 25 board members (56%) voted in agreement with Zelnik’s planned remedies. The EU trade group continues to publicly oppose the deal.
Speaking in response to
Zelnik's suggestion of co- operation, a Universal rep told Music Week: “We will continue to work closely with the independent music community so that, together, we can help ensure the future health of our industry. IMPALA's vote shows that there are senior members of the independent community who have embraced our messages of co- operation and transformation."
Beggars chairman Martin
Mills told Music Week: “IMPALA, and the independent community at large, is a broad church, and encompasses a rainbow of views. Whilst we respect Patrick’s opinions, they are his own personal views, and not those of IMPALA, which has reconfirmed its view that this acquisition is bad for the market, bad for competition, and bad for consumer choice.”
AIM chief executive Alison
Wenham added: “We believe Universal is already of a size which impedes healthy competition. This view was further confirmed by the AGM audience who voted 100% in favour of continuing to oppose the merger. “But everyone is entitled to
their own opinion, and Patrick has expressed a personal view, not reflective of the vast majority of independents.”
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